Starshine
by Draceline
Summary: Nova wakes up in his gigai, utterly alone. Or is he really alone? Bleach Character Death NovaxRukia Novukia? possible multichap depending on reviews.


This is an idea that has been floating around my head for a while now. Hope you few that actually read this will enjoy it.

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Nova woke up and blinked several times, not used to the dim light that was shining around him. Lifting a hand to help block out some of the light that was shining into his eyes, he noticed that he was no longer in his plushie form. He had five fingers. And whoever had put him in his gigai had removed his mask.

Looking around himself for the person who had done this, he saw no one, not even his plush form or his mask. The last thing he remembered was going to sleep on Ichigo's bed. He would just have to wait and see who it was.

Finally recognizing his surroundings, he saw he was in the old abandoned building that Orihime and Chad came to, to practice. Knowing his way back to everyone's homes from where he was now, Nova figured that he may as well walk back to Ichigo's house, rather than teleport. He loved winter in the real world, and as a plushie, he was never really able to enjoy the cold, crisp. air that he loved so much. All he was usually able to do was get soaked and then have to be dried. And being filled with stuffing, that took quite a while.

Just as he was about to leave the warehouse, he heard footsteps behind him. Before he could turn around to face the intruder, he felt two small arms wrap around his waist. Just by looking down, he could tell who it was. He didn't even have to feel for their reiatsu, he knew them so well. It was the object of his misguided affections.

It was Rukia.

"Please, don't go yet. I need to talk to you, Nova," she said, her voice quivering slightly.

Nova turned around, not breaking her grasp. She placed her head on his chest. Only then did he notice that Rukia was crying.

"Rukia? What happened? What's wrong?" he asked, feeling an uncharacteristic panic setting in. If Rukia was crying, then he must have missed something really bad. He thought about his friends. Were they all alright?

"Nova, he's gone. Ichigo. He's... gone..." she managed to get out before she burst out sobbing.

Nova's eyes widened. "What? What do you mean?"

She looked up at him. "I mean he's dead. And he's not in Soul Society. No one has seen him. He's just... gone..."

She buried her head in Nova's chest again, still crying.

Nova tightened his hold around her shoulders. If Ichigo was gone, then their chances at winning the war with the Arrancar were just about nil. He was their strongest Shinigami fighter, aside from the captains.

He lay his bare face against her hair. He had never felt anything so soft.

"Rukia," he said to her, "We'll get through this. Together. Okay?"

She looked up into his eyes, hers still shining with tears. She didn't seem at all shocked to see his face exposed to the air and not zipped up into his face mask.

She nodded. Then she reached around into her back pocket of the pair of jeans she was wearing and pulled out his mask.

"You may want this back now. I'm sorry I took it. I just... I had to see a living face after I saw that he was gone." She held the blue mask out to him.

To her surprise, he did not take it. Instead he swooped down and captured her lips with his. They were softer than her hair was.

Breaking the kiss, Nova straightened up and looked away, blushing and wishing that he was able to zip up his mask. She had not kissed him back.

After a moment he regained the courage to look back down at her. To his confusion, she did not look angry at all. Instead she looked surprised and almost happy.

"What was that for?" she asked. When he didn't answer immediately she raised her hand to his bare cheek. Her hand was cold. "Nova?"

"You said living. I'm a living person to you? Not just a little green pill in a fake body? I'm alive?"

Rukia looked shocked at that. "Of course you are. Why wouldn't you be? You can walk, you can talk-"

"Both things that I can only do with a gigai," he interrupted.

"-and you can love," she said before pulling his face down to hers and kissing him.

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There, the idea has been spewed out of my head into my laptop. Depending on what reviewers say, this may become a multi-chapter story. So please review. 


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